TB/HIV Program Specialist

Plan International is a leading girls and children’s rights organization. Plan strives for a just world that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We motivate our people and partners to:

• empower children, young people and communities to make vital changes that tackle the root causes of discrimination against girls, exclusion and vulnerability
• drive change in practice and policy at local, national and global levels through our reach, experience and knowledge of the realities children face
• work with children and communities to prepare for and respond to crises, and to overcome adversity
• support the safe and successful progression of children from birth to adulthood

Plan operates in 77 countries around the world. It brings its support to millions of children, their families and communities, mainly in Africa, Asia, Middle East, and South America. It implements projects in the Health, Water and Sanitation, Education, Child Protection, Sustainable Livelihood, and cross-cultural communication. Child sponsorship forms the basis of our work with children. Worth to mention, Plan International global ambition is to support 100 million girls learn, lead, decide and thrive!

As part of its commitment to support Plan International Federation reach 100 million girls so to Learn, Lead, Decide and Thrive, Plan International Liberia has developed a new country strategy which will for the next five years (2019 to 2024) focus on reaching 600,000 marginalized girls and children all over the country, with a strong commitment to work with partners at various levels to put an end to violence against girls and young women including Child Early Forced Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and other norms and practices that hinder their development and empowerment.

Plan International Liberia is committed to ensuring that Child Protection and Youth Safeguarding, Gender Transformative programming and Influencing are key and an integral part of all its work in the country.

We are currently seeking to recruit:

Title: TB/HIV Program Specialist

Location: Monrovia (with Frequent Travel to the Field)

Status: National Position

Department: Program

Reports to: Deputy Chief of Party TB/HIV

Role Purpose

Plan International Liberia (Plan) requires a senior level TB/HIV Program Specialist to oversee the implementation of a large-scale program to support HIV and TB prevention efforts in Liberian communities. Plan International Liberia (Plan) was awarded Principal Recipient (PR) role for implementation of the key population and community component of the TB/HIV grant in Liberia alongside the Liberian Ministry of Health with a large budget. Currently Plan has been implementing the Malaria grant as PR in Liberia since 2011. This position requires an excellent command of national health policies, international strategies, and community-based approaches related to HIV for the newly acquired grant that focuses on key populations, namely men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSW), as well as people who inject drugs (PWID). In addition, other populations targeted through this grant for TB case detection include persons living in slum communities, prisoners, mining sector workers, and other people that are at risk of contracting TB.

Dimensions of the Role

• Provide technical, strategic, planning and policy level HIV/AIDS advice on the Global Fund Funded TB/HIV project focusing on Key populations, Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW), and community based approaches to respond to the disease among the key populations in Liberia
• Support the team in accomplishing impact through the Global Fund project by providing technical guidance and support in identifying opportunities and addressing underlying challenges to strengthen community-based response to HIV in Liberia
• In addition to participating in Joint Monitoring Mission for HIV, participate in all technical meetings on HIV/AIDS, contribute HIV/AIDS expertise, and provide support under Plan International’s strategy of transferring the technical capacities to MoH entities and local partners in HIV/AIDS response
• Analyze the current HIV/AIDS disease situation and dynamics, results and outcomes, program activities and achievements, changes in community settings and dynamics, gender aspects of community programming, and provide best practices and recommendations to adjust programs for maximum impact against HIV/AIDS;
• Under the Global Fund TB/HIV project, provide technical support to National HIV program to ensure that program and the country are consistent with the National Strategic Framework and global benchmarks;
• Develop strategies to foster meaningful partnerships with technical partners in Liberia on key areas of HIV/AIDS control under the program including case detection, treatment, and prevention interventions and assist the project team in preventing doubling of efforts with other partners for HIV/AIDS control to maximize efficient use of resources available for control
• Assist COP in preparing for technical meetings on HIV/AIDS by preparing materials and developing presentations
• Review Progress Reports for providing quality technical information on progress on indicators, work plan tracking measures, and activities under the Global Fund project
• Conduct visits to the field for assurance of quality of HIV/AIDS services delivered to the project beneficiaries, develop and implement standardized protocols and mechanisms for identifying and rectifying issues of program quality
• Provide Technical support in strengthening linkages of TB interventions/strategies with HIV/AIDS as well as MNCH and other Public Health initiatives;
• Stay abreast on key technical developments and research on HIV/AIDS control among key populations including AGYWs and proposing timely recommendations for program improvement in line with the latest technical developments

Accountabilities

• Advises and guides quality TB/HIV programming in geographic intervention areas, ensuring that targets in the performance framework are met
• Contributes to the development and implementation of National Level Strategic Frameworks on HIV
• Provide Technical support in strengthening linkages of TB interventions/strategies with HIV as well as MNCH and other Public Health initiatives;
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Key relationships

Chief of Party (medium)

Deputy Chief of Party (high)

Snr. M&E Manager (high)

Ministry of Health (high)

National AIDS Control Programme (medium)

Civil Society Organizations / Sub-Recipients (low)

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Qualifications and Experience

· Master’s degree in public health or any other health-related discipline

· Minimum ten years’ experience in public health and experience with RSSH, HIV control among high risk groups, and community based approaches to TB control

· Demonstrated technical skills/experience in these areas: HIV risks and vulnerabilities and community response, health policy dialogue, issues and challenges of HIV/AIDS control programs, knowledge of Stop TB strategy and national disease strategic frameworks, familiarity with Global HIV/AIDS strategies, understanding and reporting research results, service quality, community systems, TB-HIV program linkages, and HIV interventions, strategies, and indicators.

· Plan International’s core competencies

Leadership Behaviours

· Seen as a source of expertise, and as being proactive in sharing knowledge and advice

· Promotes high performance

· Competence in program management, policy making, planning and monitoring

· Conscientious and efficient in observing deadlines, achieving results

· Accountability for goals and challenges

· Coaches and leads others and actively develops own team

· Excellent Communication skills (written and verbal) in a style that inspires confidence and professionalism

· Negotiation skills

· Provides vision and direction to own team

· Promotes innovation and learning

Skills specific to the post

• Manage complexity
• Strong team working skills
• Coaching and mentoring
• Planning, organising, influencing and persuading
• Sound judgement
• Credibility,
• Personal accountability and driven to serve others
• Cultural sensitivity, patience and flexibility
• Strategically thinking
• Flexibility to work both in a team and independently.

Physical Environment

Typical Office Environment

Level of contact with children

Mid Contact: Occasional Interaction with Children

(Plan International’s Values in Practice)

We are open and accountable

• Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
• Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
• Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
• Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
• Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people.

We strive for lasting impact

• Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
• Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
• Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
• Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.

We work well together

• Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
• Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
• Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
• Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

We are inclusive and empowering

• Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
• Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
• Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
• Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.